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My highest recorded weight was 341 pounds, but I lost about 70 pounds before surgery. I'm almost 3.5 years out and I'm in the mid-130s now. I didn't expect to lose this much; I wasn't really hung up on a specific number, but I think my original goal weight (based on average WLS data) was about 180. It was initially fairly easy to lose weight after surgery (the "honeymoon period" when my restriction was very strong and my hunger was almost nonexistent), but it took a lot of effort to get to where I am and maintain it. I've completely changed my diet and eating habits and I work out a lot (at least 90 minutes every day). A lot of my life revolves around diet and exercise to maintain my weight, but I still enjoy food and eating at least as much as before, and I have discovered a love for a lot of healthy foods. After losing over 200 pounds, I do have excess skin, and I don't currently have any plans to have plastic surgery. I have a flabby belly and sagging thighs. I have a little arm flab but not as bad as I expected. My butt and chest are quite deflated. I'm never going to have a bikini-ready body and I accept that. A shaping cami works wonders to hold in the belly, and flattering clothing can hide the rest well enough that no one would guess that I used to weigh more than twice as much. I care much more about the non-scale victories than the number on the scale, and for someone who started at a super morbidly obese weight, getting to my current size is a whole new world. My health has improved in so many ways -- my blood pressure is normal, lipid panel is good, and my doctor undiagnosed type 2 diabetes. I used to have a hard time finding clothing in my size, as I was too big for even "plus size" clothing at some stores (I used to wear size 26/28), and now I can find my size almost anywhere (I am now size 6/8 or medium/large). I used to struggle to walk short distances or a couple of flights of stairs, and now I can walk miles without breaking a sweat and glide up 10 flights of stairs without stopping. It's amazing how much easier it is to get around when I'm not carrying the weight of a whole extra person. I used to be hyper-aware of people judging me for my weight, and I dreaded meeting people face to face, knowing that they would think less of me when they saw my size. It is hard to describe the emotional burden that has been lifted by not having to worry about people making negative assumptions about me based on my weight. I have not had any direct complications from the surgery, but because of the rapid weight loss, I developed bradycardia (slow heart rate) and had to get a pacemaker. That's been rough, but overall, I am far better off having had the surgery and losing the weight.

@Bluebell_1980 I have been on a liver-shrinking diet since December 19—no sugar or starchy foods, no carbs—fat-free. I'll start a clear liquid diet on January 3 and 4, then have surgery on January 5. I already did my pre-op labs, and the labs look really good—no more fatty liver.

I started at 373 lbs. Two years later, I was down to 138. I had the expected "bounce back" regain in year 3 (unfortunately, I went over the expected "bounce back" weight of 10-20 lbs - but then, I'd lost a crap ton of weight - more than a lot of people) as GreaterFood said, 65% loss of excess weight is average, but as with any average, there are lots of people who fall above or below that. It all depends on how compliant you are with your plan, and your motivation. I was more than ready to get rid of that weight once and for all. I didn't originally set a goal of a normal BMI; I told my surgeon that I wanted to get to 200 lbs, which at the time seemed like a pipe dream - but I blew through that. I switched goals a couple more times, the last one being a normal BMI. I was told that was a bit unrealistic as only about 10-15% of their patients manage to get there, but I made it (and btw, that 10-15% stat is backed up by some of the research articles I read, too). but even if I'd only made it 200 lbs, I would have been overjoyed. I looked 100% better at that weight than I did at 373, of course - my health was much better, and I could finally do all the things I wanted to do but couldn't while I was super morbidly obese. life is absolutely terrific. I wish I had done this YEARS ago - and I would go back and have it done every year if I had to. I never dreamed I could be at this weight and I am really enjoying my life as a "normal" person again!! excess skin - I had a ton of it, but it was easy to hide in clothes. However, I eventually had it removed because I hated looking at it. But I'll attach a picture of me from BEFORE I had plastic surgery. You'd never know by looking at the pictures that my torso, especially, looked like a Sharpei puppy, but it did. Other than the scars, I have a normal-looking body now.

As the title suggest, I'm having what I assume is very severe gas pain. After dinner last night I started getting gas pain around my sternum/pouch area. I thought it would resolve after some chore and sleep but it persisted and even woke me up at night. It continues to persist, I've tried walking, massaging the area, etc. Unfortunately I work 22 miles from home in a rural area that has no stores where I can buy some gas x but as soon as I get back to town that is my first stop. Has anyone else experienced this? What do you do to relieve the pain? I've never had such bad gas pains!

Gastric bypass 2 years ago. I've gained 10 pounds the last 2 months. It won't stop. Please help! I need to start over and don't know how. I never lost enough weight. I got down to 182. Now I'm 192.. How do I start over. All advice welcome Please Sent from my SM-A716U using BariatricPal mobile app

Gastric bypass 2 years ago. I've gained 10 pounds the last 2 months. It won't stop. Please help! I need to start over and don't know how. I never lost enough weight. I got down to 182. Now I'm 192.. How do I start over. All advice welcome Please Sent from my SM-A716U using BariatricPal mobile app

SADI surgery coming Jan 10!

it's actually very common to have a rebound gain of 10-20 lbs during year 3. There was a dietitian once on Unjury's online support group who said in her clinic, they don't even consider anything less that 15% of the person's lowest weight to be a regain (so in your case, they wouldn't consider anything under a 21.6 lb gain as "regain" - it's just more-or-less expected). Granted, you're up more than that, but only by about 10 lbs. You can always lose weight again by getting back on track. If it's really tough to do that (and it can be..), maybe just make one or two small changes at a time until they become a habit. Start with something not super challenging - like logging your food intake - or taking a walk 3x a week. Or whatever...just anything that seems achievable. It all adds up in the end... A lot of people have dealt with this, so you're definitely not alone.

Hello, How is your wls journey going? I'm similar to you in that I'm 5 11.5 tall and around 265 pounds. My surgery date is Jan 10, 2024 and scheduled for the SADI. However, I may go with the sleeve because I don't want to lose too much weight. Goal is to stay around 190 pounds.

Hello all, this is my first post on this forum. I'm scheduled for the SADI on Jan 10, 2024, and have mixed emotions. My weight now is 270 lbs (BMI is 36.5) and I'm 5 ft 11.5 inches tall. I'm somewhat concerned about losing too much weight and looking anorexic as well. My goal weight is around 190 lbs. I still have time to decide between the SADI or the gastric sleeve. Reading some of these posts may help decide which direction to go.

I initially had VSG in 2017 and was revised to RNY in 2019. I have no horror stories. Some mild but utterly manageable complications early on but nothing that has made me regret life post RNY compared to VSG. Honestly to me it feels exactly the same and I have lived with the change long enough to make the comparison. In the early stages post revision, I needed to relearn and change some things but after that it’s been smooth. I deal with dumping syndrome (but I did with VSG also) so I know what to stay away from and it has eliminated 95% of the possibility of it happening. As always, your experience may differ in any number of ways but IMHO the people who struggle the most with revisions are the ones who either have very serious physical complications or those who didn’t want to be revised at all (this is more mental than physical). I hope you choose the best path forward that you are comfortable with. Keep us updated ❤️

Hey loves! I had my surgery 12.18 I’m about a week and half post op now. I have my follow up appointment today although they literally wanted me in there the day after I was discharged I was in no condition to go so I had to reschedule. Anesthesia hits me really hard every time so I was out for the first two days for the most part. My surgery experience was pretty good they found and fixed a hernia that was interesting to hear. I started out at 240 and im down 10 lbs now but for this week im been bouncing back from 229 to 230 :-/ I have been following the diet the doctors recommended if anything im not able to eat all they recommended per meal. I have experienced being backed up so would recommend anyone who hasn’t had their surgery yet to have miralax ready. Overall I’m fine I haven’t had any vomiting or anything else weird happen. I do feel a little frustrated bc last week I was dropping a lb a day. But my doctor said to introduce purée food this week so I’m assuming that has to do with the hold up🤷‍♀️. I have been walking daily and last night pulled out my workout bike so I will see what happens next. Sending you all prayers and congratulations to those who’ve had and are yet to get their surgery. I heard of the 3 week stall but I feel like I’m already there on week 2 :-/! Anyone else dealing with that? Is 10 lbs good? I’m 5’4 and started at 240 when I began my journey to get this surgery I was 234. In a week and a half I’m down 10lbs.

Hi all. New here. Had my surgery on 12/18/23: DS/BPD. Spent a single night in the hospital, with discharge ~1pm the following day. Apparently I'm having a somewhat rare complication, which is severe hiccups. By severe I mean where the diaphragm spasms and holds for 10 seconds, during which you cannot breathe. Fortunately, this hasn't happened more than once per day, and today I got a scrip for a drug called Reglan which should moderate the hiccups until whatever is irritating my diaphragm heals itself. Aside from that, the weight is dropping off rapidly. Lost 11 lbs on the 2 week pre-surgery 1K cal/day diet, and am losing since surgery an average of 2.3 lbs / day, which is mind blowing. Cheers, Bruce

Scheduled for surgery 1/10/24. I was told my Dr’s office that I will only need to be on a liquid diet for 24 hours before surgery. I’ve always heard that it’s a week or 10 days. Wondering if anyone has ever heard this?

Scheduled for surgery 1/10/24. I was told my Dr’s office that I will only need to be on a liquid diet for 24 hours before surgery. I’ve always heard that it’s a week or 10 days. Wondering if anyone has ever heard this?

Scheduled for surgery 1/10/24. I was told my Dr’s office that I will only need to be on a liquid diet for 24 hours before surgery. I’ve always heard that it’s a week or 10 days. Wondering if anyone has ever heard this?

**Update** Hey everyone! Sorry for being MIA for a while. I really appreciate all your responses and well wishes. I will be 2 weeks post-op tomorrow, which is kind of nutty to think about. My 9 day post-op follow up appointment went really well. Incisions are healing well, and they seem quite happy with my food diary. I started my bariatric vitamins about 4 days post-op as well and been doing great so far with those. I use Paravita bariatric multivitamin 3x daily and I take Vitamin D3 2500 IU one drop daily. Plus of course the medications needed temporarily prescribed by my surgeon. I got to say though that it's been HARD going through Christmas day and not being able to enjoy our traditional Christmas breakfast, or our amazing turkey feast. Least I got to smell it though lol. I feel a lot more strong, so I have been able to have a lot more normalcy in my life. I make my family their food, while also preparing my clear liquids and full liquids. Unfortunately I'll be on the liquids until January,10th as it is 4 weeks with the gastric sleeve. Then eventually pureed foods, then soft, then finally regular healthy eating for life lol. I am making turkey soup today with our turkey carcass, onions, carrots, celery, and some seasoning, so I can at least enjoy the broth of our Christmas dinner my spouse and out kiddos had yesterday lol. I hope you all are well. I am fighting my brain and always will, and I am still having some regretful thoughts over having this surgery. I am taking one step ahead at a time and trying to look towards the positives. As I've said in other posts I just was so set on Gastric Bypass for my acid reflux issues, and I liked that it could be reversed if needed, plus I hear it has a higher success rate. So when I found out they gave me the sleeve, I just been having mixed thoughts since, and now I can't go back even if I wanted to down the line. So it's been weighing on me a lot. Please know I am not trying to discourage anyone from WLS, and the sleeve can be just as successful, everyone is different. I also thoroughly did my research on WLS prior. Lots of great things about these surgeries. I hope you all are well and that you all had a very Merry Christmas, or Happy Holidays if you celebrate. Much love. ✌

I was sleeved 10 May, all good here, no issues. I've been lucky enough to lose every week, apart from a 10 day plateau 2 weeks after surgery. I put my success down to tracking daily and hitting my protein goal consistently. I eat really well for the most part too apart from an occasional treat. I eat carbs, I'm learning to accept that carbs aren't the devil. I don't eat bread itself much, but enjoy low carb wraps daily. Also been having a muktigrain muffin every day with peanut butter. It's 20 carbs, not terrible IMHO. I include brown rice, pasta, potato, protein is the focus of course. Of a meal carbs might make up a quarter for example. My carbs average around a hundred a day, give or take. I'm a vegetarian so the bulk of it comes from legumes and vegetables, also fruit which I eat daily.

Currently scheduled for January 10, 2024. Still feel a lot of apprehension and trepidation about this entire process as it is hard to shack statistics from many years ago of the death rate post surgery. Scheduled for the "Gastric Sleeve" which accorinding to research has the lowest incidence of post surgical issues. I shall see...

So 5 days post op I was put on pureed from full liquid. The chili my doctors gave examples of is Wendy's chili. I made my own, beef, red and kidney beans, tomato sauce and paste, and seasonings. Even in my binder it was clear liquid for 3 days, full liquid like pudding, cream of wheat, jello, ect for 10 days....so that would only be 13. But I had 3 days of full liquid and was clear for puree. Now that's my doctor, for roux en y. Maybe yours has you on a different plan for specific reasons, and maybe there's a misunderstanding about your liquid diet time period, because yeah I couldn't do 17 days with only liquids.

I’ve had mine on May 3rd. Best decision ever. I’ve been at my lowest weight in almost 10 years. Around the 5 month mark, Ive plateau. I’m still dropping some weight but a lot slower than I want. Hopefully the next 5 months, I’ll reach my goal weight.

I am 10 days post op(December 13th). Down 39lbs and my happiness is very high. I want to share my story. The first 3-4 days sucked. Gas pains are rough, mind games are real. I even thought residual brown blood I coughed up was me bleeding from the staple line, no no it wasn't it was from the incubator and breathing tube lol. Constipation is real with the shakes but I was able to easily manage it and you can if you start a 100mg Colace twice a day, 2 days before surgery and maintain through the diet phases. I also got disolvable omeprozel instead of the horse pills to limit acid in my stomach to help healing, I got Gas Strips off amazon and Gas X for when needed. The gas pain from the CO2 is real but it gets better every single day. It eventually trys to exit out the left shoulder and is a little uncomfortable but I managed to walk 1.5-2 miles per day during recovering by going to the mall and taking my time. The physical side is much better each day. I do still get a weird 3-4am hunger pain in my tummy that is fixed by 2 ounces of premier shake and then back to bed. It is tough watching family and friends over the holidays enjoy snacking but I remind myself I did this at 35yo as an investment to a longer life. To watch my 6.5yo son get married and to enjoy my own grandkids. I just wanted to share that every day is a better day and to take it easy and feel blessed and reminded that the recovery and fluid phases are not permanent and your normal is right around the corner. Enjoy the process of life change.

Thank you for the replies. Summerseeker : "Food should not be boring. I just do not live to eat it anymore." I don't Iive to eat, I never have, but good food contributes to a good life. "Variety is the spice of life" variety I can't have. Yes, I knew this goes into this but, it doesn't make it any easier! What I was attempting to say is its boring because; 1. Unlike you I detest cooking so the thought of sitting down to think out my weeks meals sounds tedious and time consuming (even if necessary) I really wish I had the time and inclination to do it and I'm jealous of those who are willing and able.. I just don't want to add yet more measuring, weighing prepping to my day off since I do enough of that weekly in very exacting details (down to microns) 😛 Perhaps its also the lack of options..see #2; 2. With this new way of eating and my intolerance of carbs it makes my options very limited. After all there are five food groups and I've eliminated 3 of the five as it is - grains, most dairy unless you want overly processed artificial dairy and fruits. Add to that my food texture issue (symptom of ADHD) ..this leaves me with low fat beef, fish and chicken for proteins and veggies (non starchy). I do track everything I eat and drink as well although I love your way of if you get your proteins in and still want a "biscuit" and a bite of noodles you have it. Perhaps, I'm being overly controlling of my diet out of fear of regaining the weight and its causing me to feel this way. Arabesque: I understand why drinking water and peeing is important and your body should adjust to more water consumption, but, after 9 months I still go 20+ times a day - very inconvenient when I work managing a pathology lab - I have to remove a lab coat, gloves and mask, then go through decontamination processes each time I exit the lab and then upon entering resuit up and on top of that no drinks allowed in the lab - so in order to get my water in I have lunch time and when I get home OR leave the lab for my sip. So, this means working 10 hours a day it gives me a very short window to get my water in especially since I can't drink large quantities at once. I should have explained better (but my post was already long). My apologies. I guess my lack of "thirst" has developed from years of training from this job and my last. I just worry about not getting the required amount in. Anyway, its just me whinging. I'm just finding it difficult and quite frankly tiring (getting up several times a night to pee doesn't help).

It's been a few years so I can't remember how tired/sluggish I felt pre-surgery, but my bad hip joint caused me a lot of pain back then because of the extra weight. Constantly. It doesn't get like that very often any more. It's sometimes painful, but not very often - and the pain is much milder. I also used to only be able to manage one trip up and down the basement stairs a day. I'd either have my husband run down there - or I'd pile things up near the top of the stairs and take them all down at once. Now, I probably go up and down my basement stairs 5-10 times a day. Walking - I still can't walk long distances because of my arthritis, but I can walk for an hour at a pop without much effort. Before? Maybe two blocks before I got winded and had to rest. So...yes. That all has definitely improved since my weight loss!

I just made an account to answer this. I am two and a half weeks post op from gastric sleeve. I too have PCOS. I am 37 years old and my highest weight was 330. At surgery and after the pre-op diet I was down to 305. I'm currently 289 today. My comorbidities were hypertension, high cholesterol, newly onset GERD, and insulin resistance. (never made it into the diabetic range). I watched a ton of videos on youtube after I decided to have surgery. I watched the testimony of patients ranging from a few weeks out to twenty years. I also listened to bariatric surgeons discuss the process, pitfalls, and successes. My PCP had been talking to me about this surgery for three years and at first I declined because of all the people I knew of that experienced full weight regain. I only decided to have the surgery when I had determined that not being able to eat as much and what I want all the time was a small price to pay for my health and quality of life. Some things to consider between sleeve and bypass. Myth: Bypass patients are much more successful at keeping weight off. The sleeve is a newer surgery and was discovered as the first part of the duodenal switch. The 5 and 10 year outcomes for weight loss and regain tend to be around the same with the bypass slightly better. The sleeve is less punishing and is easier to 'stretch' out with poor eating habits but it can be done with the bypass as well. Overall, a change in relationship with food is a higher predictor of sustained weight loss than either surgery. The Switch is the surgery with the most rapid weight loss and sustained loss without regain but it is a heavily malabsorption procedure, carries the most risk of post operative complications, including dehydration and vitamin deficiency and requires a very strict regiment to sustain a healthy lifestyle. It can also result in some interesting bowel changes. Too rapid weightloss can also result in gallstones. Quite a few bariatric patients have had gallbladder removal after surgery. It should be noted that actual operative complications are low for all surgeries but not zero. Another controversial topic of sleeve vs gastric bypass is that the bypass is better for GERD. There are contradicting experiences for both surgeries. One thing is for sure you can certainly still have GERD with the bypass, although it seems revision from sleeve to bypass has worked to cure GERD for a lot of people. My GERD was very mild before surgery and so far I have not experienced any after. I am on a daily dosage of omerprazole but that's nothing new to what I was taking before. My triggers for GERD were fried foods and canned tomatoes. I know to stay away from that now. Keep in mind that the bypass is reversible in most cases while the sleeve is not. Also, the sleeve can be converted into a bypass or switch if complications arise or you fail to lose or sustain a meaningful amount of weight. There are very few options for bypass and switch if regain occurs outside of dietary changes, exercise and will power. Bypass patients can no longer consume NSAIDS, steriods, and possibly other medications after surgery for life. Switch and Bypass patients are more likely to experience dumping syndrome but Sleeve patients can also suffer from it. Constipation, diarrhea, and blockages and strictures can occur with all surgeries. Very minimal risk for long term serious complications. I have read quite a few posts that spoke about pain after surgery with the sleeve. Speaking for myself the only pain I experienced was gas after surgery from the surgeon introducing it into my abdomen during the procedure. I was given liquid pain meds but never took any, and no otc pains meds either. I felt discomfort from the surgery port sites for maybe a week. After that I was good. My surgery team has stayed on top of any side effects that could occur after surgery and I was very lucky. They gave me medicine for nausea before surgery, put an anti-nausea patch behind my ear also before surgery and discharged me with anti-nausea dissolveable meds. I took the meds for about a week though I never experience sickness and still luckily have not. I was a water drinker before surgery and can still easily drink water without any pain or nausea. Cold or hot temps don't seem to upset my stomach though some have reported either can cause pain. I am on the puree stage and things are going well. Really, experiences vary. I'd choose a doctor carefully and if possible speak to prior patients to get their experience pre and post op. I was lucky my Aunt had the procedure done the year before and could report on her experience. We chose the same surgeon. He had a 98% success rate. So after this long-winded wall of text I choose a sleeve because: I wanted a slower and steady weight loss. I did not want to re-route my insides. Had a co-worker suffer a bad bowel blockage with a bypass and had to have part of his intestine cut out. I did not want restrictions on not being able to take certain pain or treatment options should they become necessary in the future. I did not feel I have a dependent relationship with food. I ate too much of it. And sometimes the wrong things because they were easy and accessible. But I also enjoyed a lot of healthy foods. My kryptonite has always been lack of exercise and even skipping meals so that I overate when I did eat. I'm from the finish your plate generation, but I did not and do not rely on food for comfort, bordem or pleasure. Therefore, I felt and still feel that the more punishing procedures were not right for me.